Perhaps it was Chen Yi's imagination, but on the way from Chunhe Garden to Qingjing Residence in the central courtyard, where Old Marquis Xiao lived, the servants and maidservants of Xiao Manor looked at him far more kindly.
Even the uncles and aunts from the Second Branch whom they encountered greeted him warmly and politely, first wishing the Young Marquis good morning, then calling him second son-in-law.
Some he knew, while others he did not.
Fortunately, Xiao Wuge was there, so he did not make a fool of himself.
Wang Lixing and the others behind him saw it all. Once they reached a secluded spot, Wang Lixing said familiarly, "Second son-in-law, you're much more popular in the mansion now."
Ge Laosan had always been blunt to the point of recklessness and chimed in, "Forget the masters and madams—even I deeply admire Son-in-law's learning. You should know, when it came to Son-in-law fleeing marriage..."
Before he could finish, the armored soldier beside him hurriedly covered his mouth.
Wang Lixing turned and glared at him before quietly apologizing to Chen Yi. "Third Brother is just that sort of person. Please forgive him."
Chen Yi waved a hand and said without the slightest attempt to hide it, "No matter, no matter. Before, I was possessed by evil thoughts. If I'd known Xiao Manor would treat me this well, I never would have fled the marriage."
At that, Wang Lixing and the others exchanged glances, then all raised their thumbs.
Aside from his learning, second son-in-law's temperament was exceptional as well. Had it been anyone else, being confined for months would have long since caused a scene.
Not long after.
Accompanied by Xiao Wuge and the others, Chen Yi passed through the central courtyard's corridor. An old man with a hunched back approached from ahead, carrying a few miscellaneous items in his hands.
Chen Yi and Xiao Wuge stepped aside of their own accord, only to see Wang Lixing and the others bow in military salute toward him. "Uncle Gui."
The old man seemed slightly hard of hearing. As though he had not heard them at all, he limped away.
Chen Yi watched him for a moment longer, then suddenly recalled something and asked Wang Lixing, "Uncle Gui?"
A strange look crossed Wang Lixing's face as he replied in a low voice, "Uncle Gui is an old hand of the Dingyuan Army. He once served as Old Marquis Xiao's personal guard."
Chen Yi nodded in understanding and continued forward. "No wonder you treat him with such respect."
Wang Lixing and the others followed. "Speaking of it, Uncle Gui is a pitiful man. In the final battle years ago, when Old Marquis Xiao repelled the Barbarian King's army, Uncle Gui was gravely wounded. Fortunately, he received treatment in time and suffered no lasting harm."
"Everyone thought that once they returned to Shuzhou, he would be promoted and richly rewarded. Yet it happened to coincide with personnel changes in both the Protectorate and the Provincial Administration. The military merits of many old soldiers were handled unfairly, and Uncle Gui's achievements were simply erased."
"Later, Old Marquis Xiao felt he had wronged him, so he had him remain at the Marquis's mansion and even arranged for him to marry and have children."
As Chen Yi listened to Wang Lixing recount that past, they soon arrived outside the gates of Qingjing Residence. His thoughts remained fixed on Uncle Gui.
This "Uncle Gui" ought to be the elderly servant Pei Guanli had mentioned before. With such twists and turns having befallen him, it was indeed possible that he had grown dissatisfied with the Xiao Family and harbored disloyal thoughts.
As he pondered this, Chen Yi was about to ask someone to announce them when Xiao Wuge waved at the guard by the gate and directly pulled him into the residence.
"Grandfather, brother-in-law has come to see you."
Chen Yi followed him around the screen wall and swept his gaze around.
The courtyard was smaller than Qinghe Garden, but it had far more flowers and plants. On either side of the bluestone path stood two rows of grape trellises, with vines climbing over them. Beneath them grew all manner of vegetation, and a stream flowed through the midst of it all.
From afar, he saw three elderly men sitting in a pavilion on the southern side of the courtyard, drinking tea and playing chess.
One of them had a weathered face and a burly build, though it was obvious that his body was somewhat frail.
The other two sat opposite each other on either side of the chessboard.
One was impeccably dressed, with nobility written all over him. At that moment, however, his brows were slightly raised as he smugly looked at the old man across from him.
As for the last man, Chen Yi could not see his face. He only heard him curse, "Even if you are a Duke, you cannot take back your moves like this! This is already the third time!"
"What do you mean, taking back my move? This old man calls it a tiger taking a nap."
"You take your—"
Before the two could start quarreling, the burly old man beside them stopped them. Then he beckoned Xiao Wuge over and turned his eyes toward Chen Yi.
Though his eyes were cloudy, Chen Yi could still see the scrutiny within them.
Without needing another word, Chen Yi calmly paid his respects. "Chen Yi greets Old Master, Duke Zhang, and Mr. Sun."
Before Old Marquis Xiao could say anything, Zhang Xuan, who was still thinking about how to undo his move, directly shoved the chessboard aside. "Oh? Your grandson-in-law has arrived?"
Sun Fu instantly felt darkness descend before his eyes. His chest tightened, and he nearly rose to strangle that old thing.
Still, he knew there was a junior present. Coupled with his own cultivation and learning, he forced himself to endure it, turning back to examine Chen Yi.
Old Marquis Xiao shot them a sidelong glare before signaling for a servant to bring Chen Yi a chair. "Sit and speak."
Chen Yi bowed once more before walking over and sitting down, his expression still composed.
Although it was his first time meeting Old Marquis Xiao, Old Duke, and Old Sir Sun, Xiao Wuge had spoken of them often over the past days.
Thus, Chen Yi had a rough understanding of the three elders' temperaments. He only needed to sit properly.
After Sun Fu finished examining him, the frustration from the chess game dissipated. He nodded. "Not bad, not bad. I can tell that your reading has seeped into your very bones."
Zhang Xuan interjected, "The stink of a pedant?"
"You old bastard, you..."
Old Marquis Xiao said helplessly, "You two old fellows are making such a racket in front of a junior. Aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"
"Would he dare?" Zhang Xuan looked at Chen Yi and asked with a smile that did not reach his eyes, "Do you know who this old man is?"
Chen Yi raised his brows inwardly. This Old Duke seemed to have quite an issue with me?
"Duke of Gan."
"Wrong. This old man is your father's sworn nemesis!"
Oh?
Chen Yi suddenly realized where the knot lay. Smiling, he said, "Father never mentioned it to this junior. Duke, please forgive me."
Zhang Xuan froze. He raised a hand to point at him, so angry that his beard bristled and his eyes bulged. "You young brat truly fear no—"
Old Marquis Xiao hurriedly stopped him. "At your age, why are you still acting like a child?"
"But what he just said... Chen Xuanji never put this old man in his eyes?"
"You are overthinking it."
Old Marquis Xiao gestured for Sun Fu to drag him away. Zhang Xuan went on dark-faced and silent, walking toward the side room.
After he had left.
Seeing that Chen Yi remained calm, Old Marquis Xiao shook his head and laughed. "You boy, did you do that deliberately just now?"
Chen Yi grinned. "Nothing can escape Old Master's eyes."
He found Duke Zhang's attitude strange, but that did not prevent him from "striking back."
Naturally, he knew where to draw the line and would not make it too obvious.
Old Marquis Xiao laughed. "Not bad. You're one who refuses to suffer a loss."
"But if Chen Xuanji were here, he would probably give both of you a slap across the face."
"This grandson-in-law would like to hear the details."
"They are all old matters. Six years ago, it happened that the barbarians advanced eastward and pillaged around Jiaozhou..."
Old Marquis Xiao did not hide anything and began recounting the grudge between Duke of Gan Zhang Xuan and Chen Xuanji.
Simply put, Chen Xuanji, who had then served in the Provincial Administration of Jiangnan Prefecture, had failed to promptly allocate provisions to support Jiaozhou, displeasing Zhang Xuan.
Thus, the two had formed a grudge.
However, as far as Chen Yi knew, Chen Xuanji had afterward been dispatched by His Majesty as an envoy to the Western Buddhist Kingdom. By now, he likely truly no longer remembered his conflict with Zhang Xuan.
After Old Marquis Xiao finished, he said with a smile, "That old fellow only cares about matters, not people. If you have the time, write him a poem. It will surely coax him into blooming with laughter."
Chen Yi hesitated slightly, then agreed for the time being. "This grandson-in-law will remember."
After chatting for a few moments, Old Marquis Xiao did not keep him long. Learning that Chen Yi wished to leave the mansion and stroll around outside, he readily agreed.
"What happened before is in the past. Jinghong has already forgiven you, so naturally this old man will not keep holding on to it."
"But now that you are part of the Xiao Family, be more at ease. Do not go to places like South of the City anymore."
Chen Yi nodded in assent.
Had he not wanted to go outside and seek some amusement before, he would not have specifically gone to some Yanhuaxiang alley of flowers and willows.
Not long after, Chen Yi left Qingjing Residence together with Xiao Wuge.
After thinking for a moment, Old Marquis Xiao had Zhang Xuan and Sun Fu summoned over.
Duke of Gan Zhang Xuan hurried over and impatiently asked, "Well? Did your grandson-in-law agree or not?"
Sun Fu laughed and scolded, "You are a Duke too. Aren't you ashamed to scheme against a junior like this?"
Zhang Xuan took pride in what others would find shameful. "If I can obtain a poem like Old Xiao's, this old man will go all out."
Old Marquis Xiao glared at him. "The moment you stick out your backside, this old man knows you are holding in no good fart."
"Go on and be happy. Chen Yi agreed, but afterward it will depend on how you smooth things over. He came to pay his respects, yet you brought up Chen Xuanji."
"Rest assured, rest assured. This old man knows what to do..."
After Chen Yi left Qingjing Residence, he and Xiao Wuge headed straight back to Chunhe Garden. Along the way, they occasionally heard idle gossip:
"Second son-in-law's Birthday Ode has spread all through Shuzhou City. I heard many scholars think it a pity—such talent, yet he married into our Xiao Manor."
"What is there to pity? The mansion does not treat Son-in-law poorly."
"That may be so, but the mouths of the masses cannot be stopped. I wonder whether Second Miss is still angry that Son-in-law fled the marriage."
"Probably not anymore..."
There were no secrets within a household. So long as certain matters were not deliberately suppressed, they would naturally soon become known to everyone.
Fortunately, these words were all fairly positive, so Chen Yi did not pay them much mind.
But when he arrived outside Chunhe Garden, he saw the hunched Uncle Gui emerging from Jiaxing Garden at that very moment.
Hmm?
Chen Yi stopped, his expression remaining natural as he said, "Brother Xing, trouble yourself to prepare the carriage. Later, the Young Marquis and I will leave the Mansion for a trip."
If he remembered correctly, the miscellaneous items in the rear courtyard were all collected early in the morning, before dawn.
When something was out of the ordinary, there had to be something sinister behind it—apparently, the Secret Letter the Hidden Guard had sent out earlier had received a response.
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